A scroll compressor is a certain type of compressor that is used to compress refrigerant for such applications as refrigeration, air conditioning, industrial cooling and freezer applications, and/or other applications where compressed fluid may be used. Such prior scroll compressors are known, for example, as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,530 to Hasemann; U.S. Pat. No. 6,814,551, to Kammhoff et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,960,070 to Kammhoff et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,112,046 to Kammhoff et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,877, to Beagle et al., all of which are assigned to a Bitzer entity closely related to the present assignee. As the present disclosure pertains to improvements that can be implemented in these or other scroll compressor designs, the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,398,530, 7,112,046, 6,814,551, and 6,960,070 are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
Additionally, particular embodiments of scroll compressors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,582,211 to Wallis et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,292 to Wallis et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,084 to Wallis et al., the teachings and disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
As is exemplified by these patents, scroll compressors conventionally include an outer housing having a scroll compressor contained therein. A scroll compressor includes first and second scroll compressor members. A first compressor member is typically arranged stationary and fixed in the outer housing. A second scroll compressor member is moveable relative to the first scroll compressor member in order to compress refrigerant between respective scroll ribs which rise above the respective bases and engage in one another. Conventionally the moveable scroll compressor member is driven about an orbital path about a central axis for the purpose of compressing refrigerant. An appropriate drive unit, typically an electric motor, is usually provided within the same housing to drive the movable scroll member.
In such scroll compressor assemblies and other such equipment, counterweights are often employed to counteract the weight imbalance about the rotational axis. For example, in scroll compressors, the movable scroll compressor body and the offset eccentric section on the drive shaft create weight imbalance relative to the rotational axis. As a result, a counterweight is often provided for balancing purposes to reduce vibration and noise of the overall assembly via the internal balancing and/or cancelling out of inertial forces.
In order to support the development of lighter, less expensive scroll compressors, the machines have become more compact. As scroll compressor have been made more compact, there is less space between components. As such, there is a need in the art for a low-cost counterweight having a complex shape capable of fitting into tight spaces between the electric drive unit and the upper bearing member.
Embodiments of the invention provide such a low-cost counterweight. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.